and cynthia tuckel, syndicated columnist for "the atlanta constitution." thank you both for being here with me tonight. >> good to be here, reverend. >> senator, let me go to you first. how should democrats handle these republicans who, apparently, haven't learned anything from their failures in the last congress? >> well, they have no choice but to go around them, go over them, go through them, which is basically what happened with the deal to overt the fiscal cliff. much of this is going to depend on president obama's leadership. the president stood firm in these negotiations. he had told republicans, he had told the american public, that he was not going to sign any deal that did not increase taxes on the wealthiest americans. he told them and he told them and he told them. they did not believe him. they thought that they could roll over him just as they had done in 2011. >> right. >> it did not work. so if the president holds fast, as he did before, they will not be able to roll over him and gut programs of consequence and ruin the economy. >> now, joa